FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Central Area
Q. How long will it take to build a new school or additions to existing schools?
A. It generally takes from 29 to 52 months to build a new school on land Baltimore County
Public Schools or Baltimore County already owns. Here is how the process breaks down:
1 - 2 months
6 - 10 months
4 months
18 - 36 months
29 - 52 months


Consultant selection
Design phase (including design, permitting, and state, county and
BCPS review)
Bid phase
Construction phase
Total Time
If the land has to be purchased, that adds time to the process – from about 6 months to 2
years.
Building additions is on the lower end of the timeline – taking maybe 29 to 36 months.
Q. Some of the potential sites are less than 15 acres in size. Aren’t they too small?
A. Our goal is that elementary sites be at least 15 acres. That is not always possible. A number
of circumstances – including site features, community need, land availability in a particular
community – can lead us to sometimes choose smaller sites.
Q. Whose standard is it that an elementary school needs to be on at least 15 acres? Is that
a BCPS standard, a state standard, a national standard?
A. Fifteen to 20 acres for an elementary school is a guideline established by Baltimore County
Public Schools. However, it aligns with other school districts. According to the Council of
Educational Facility Planners, many states seek to have 10 acres plus 1 acre for every 100
students for elementary schools. According to that formula, an elementary school for 500
students would be sited on at least 15 acres.
Q. Is the Greenwood Administrative Campus being considered as a possible site for a
school?
A. The Greenwood campus has been suggested as a site, but it is far from ideal for a school
campus given its environmental setbacks and fairly significant sloping. The status of the
registry of historic buildings also needs to be examined and considered. (There are four
historic structures, and we are aware that the mansion is on the national register.) Finally,
locating a school at Greenwood would require relocating the BCPS administrative staff
currently stationed there.
It seems likely that other options will prove to be more efficient. However, as we have said,
all options are under consideration, and we are evaluating the Greenwood campus carefully
to ensure its best and most effective use for the school system and the community.
Q. The county has set aside money to address overcrowding in the central area. Why can’t
we use it right away?
A. Design Firms have been selected for projects in the Southwest and Central areas. As soon as
the specific location is identified in each area, the designs for a new school or addition will
commence.
Q. Elementary schools are overcrowded now, but that means that ultimately middle and
high schools will be overcrowded, too. Do we have a plan for dealing with that?
A. The process of developing a Long-Term Capital Improvement Plan that will include current
and our long-term needs at all schools preK through grade 12.
Q. Which central area schools are currently overcrowded?
A. Of the 22 elementary schools in the central area, 17 have more students than the state-rated
capacity. For some the difference is as few as a handful of students; for others, the difference
is as many as 197 students. All but one of the Central area middle schools are at or below
capacity; the exception is 30 students over. Two high schools are above capacity. For more
details, please see http://www.bcps.org/offices/strategic_planning/pdf/10Year-EnrollmentProjections.pdf.
Q. Are we working with politicians to stop development in certain areas? Overcrowding is
being caused by overdevelopment.
A. Advocating changes in the rate or location of development in Baltimore County is not
something that Baltimore County Public Schools has been involved with. We do, however,
work closely with the county and state to monitor changes in development and population so
that we can better plan for school development and programming.
Q. As a result of building a new school, will there be redistricting?
A. There will be redistricting, but we cannot say at this point when it will occur. We can assure
our families that there will be community involvement and important community priorities
such as walkability and keeping neighborhoods together will be key considerations.
Q. Do all of the schools have pre-kindergarten programs? Have we thought about creating
an early learning center?
A. Some elementary schools in the central area have prekindergarten programs; others do not.
Creating an early learning center or relocating or consolidating programs could be part of a
long-term solution for the central area, and all options are under consideration.
Q. The county has set aside a certain amount of funds to assist with increasing capacity.
Will the state contribute funds, too?
A. When a new school project is identified, the state will contribute funds. For school
construction, Baltimore County pays for design, furniture, fixtures and equipment, site
acquisition, 50% of eligible construction costs and 100% of ineligible construction costs. In
the end, generally, the county contributes 60% of the total project cost and the state
contributes 40% of the total project cost.